


Sode no Shirayuki

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Zabimaru Therapy [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ichihime (mentioned), M/M, Massage Therapist Renji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 08:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13714098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: Feeling much more rejuvenated and relaxed from the massage, Byakuya discusses his upcoming visit and inspection of the Sode no Shirayuki Hotel & Spa with Rukia, his sister-in-law and the hotel's manager. Meanwhile, Renji gets a phone call from Ichigo, asking him to play bodyguard against Orihime's abusive mother at his wedding, which is happening at the Sode no Shirayuki.





	Sode no Shirayuki

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> I was having a lot of trouble with this chapter, but I managed to push against the stubborn writer's block! I hope you enjoy!

Byakuya continued feeling the effects of the massage for the next few days. Not only was he much more relaxed, he was also much more pleasant to be around. He slept peacefully, and he didn’t feel any more aches and pains in his shoulders, neck, or back. Abarai Renji was truly a skilled man, he mused. Perhaps he should consider having him employed in one of the Senbonzakura hotels?

“Nii-sama?” Rukia asked.

Snapped out of his thoughts, Byakuya noticed that Rukia had let herself into his home office again. “What is it, Rukia?” he asked, getting up from his chair.

“I just wanted to discuss a few things with you,” Rukia said as her brother-in-law followed her to the living room. “You know, about your upcoming visit to the Sode no Shirayuki Hotel & Spa.”

“Right,” Byakuya said, knowing about it. Basically, it was his job as the CEO to inspect the hotels under the Senbonzakura name and see how each one was doing. Considering how strict of a man he was, those visits were often met with a fearful anticipation from various employees.

It was well-known that Kuchiki Byakuya wasn’t easy to please. He was very particular about how certain things should be run, and if something was not up to his standards, well… it was easier to say that he wouldn’t be giving a good reference for employees leaving the company.

“How is the Sode no Shirayuki doing, Rukia?” Byakuya asked. “It has only been a few months since it opened.”

Rukia smiled. “Thank you for letting me run the hotel, Nii-sama,” she said gratefully. “It’s doing wonderful. I’m so lucky to be able to manage such a beautiful hotel.”

“I knew you wanted to manage it,” Byakuya said. “That’s why I let you become manager. But I do hope your staff is as good as you.”

“Of course they are!” Rukia said. “But please, try not to be too harsh. Everyone is doing their very best, and they’re all proud to work for you.”

“That is up to me to decide,” Byakuya simply said.

That was when he noticed a gift wrapped up in orange wrapping paper and tied with a white silk bow sitting on the coffee table. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Whose birthday is coming up?”

“Oh, this?” Rukia smiled. “There’s going to be a wedding at the Sode no Shirayuki, on the day you’re coming over, actually, so I put together a little gift for the happy couple. It’s part of the wedding package we offer: in addition to menu tasting, ballroom set up, bridal suite package, and catering, I often prepare a congratulations gift on behalf of the staff.”

“I see. And what is this gift?”

“It contains two tote bags, a His and Hers towel set, and a few other things like tea,” Rukia said. “It’s in orange because that’s the couple’s wedding theme.”

“And how are you going to give them the gift?”

“I’ll have it sent up to their room on their wedding night.”

Byakuya nodded in approval. “I look forward to coming to the Sode no Shirayuki,” he told her. “It should be an interesting visit.”

Rukia’s eyes practically sparkled at those words. After all, praise from her older brother, or brother-in-law, was cherished so deeply. Then, she suddenly remembered, “Oh, yeah! How was your massage appointment?”

“It went well,” Byakuya said, glancing at her. “I must say, you have a very interesting friend.”

“Did you have Renji?” Rukia asked.

“I did, and he is quite skilled,” he said, his eyes glinting slightly. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time.”

“See? I told you it would be worth it,” Rukia told him, grinning.

“But I am curious. What have you been telling him about me? When I mentioned that my colleagues considered me too irritable to be around, he laughed.” Byakuya raised an eyebrow at her. “So, just what exactly have you been telling him?”

“Er… nothing! Nothing, really!” Rukia sheepishly turned away. “Okay, sometimes I like to share things with him, but I swear I didn’t tell him too much!”

“Good.” Byakuya got up. “I don’t need everyone thinking I’m a horrible boss.”

 

* * *

 

Renji had just finished his pushups when his phone started ringing. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that it was Ichigo, so he took the call. “What’s up?” he greeted. “Pre-wedding jitters already?”

“Kinda, actually,” Ichigo said, his voice worried. “I hope I’m not intruding on anything, but I was wondering if you could come to the hotel early?”

“Sure, why not?” Renji agreed. “Is something wrong?”

Ichigo sighed. “We need someone to watch out for Orihime’s mom,” he explained. “She’s been creating a whole bunch of drama and we’re afraid that she’s gonna try and do something really stupid or really awful on the wedding day.”

“Like wearing white?” Renji asked, shuddering.

“Exactly,” Ichigo said. “You know how she is. Ever since she bullied her way back into Orihime’s life in spite of being a shit mother, she’s done nothing but create chaos. Which is why I need your help. She's made Orihime cry during the planning so many times, insulted everything she does, and just... look, I really need your help with this. Orihime's way too nice to tell her mom to fuck off, as much as she really wants to, and neither of us want her at the wedding. You never put up with anyone's bullshit, right?”

“Yep, I’m in,” Renji responded instantly. “But I don’t want to do it alone, lest people get the wrong impression about the situation.”

“That’s what Rangiku-san and the bridesmaids are for,” Ichigo reassured. “They’ll help you out so Orihime’s mom can’t make herself the victim.”

Renji smiled. “Thanks, man,” he said. “And the wedding is at the Sode no Shirayuki, right? What’s it like there?”

“It’s a beautiful hotel,” Ichigo told him. “All I can say is that you’re gonna love it when you see it. I mean, it’s one of the hotels under the Senbonzakura Spas & Resorts company.”

“Damn, must be expensive,” Renji commented, raising his eyebrows before taking a swig of water. “Their spa treatments are some of the most high-class, I heard. Thai massage, hydrotherapy, lava shell massages, they have the whole package, don’t they?”

“Yup. Also, the CEO’s sister-in-law is the manager of this hotel,” Ichigo added.

Renji nodded. “Rukia, right? Yeah, I gave her brother a massage a few days ago.”

There was a pause. “Whoa. You had  _ the  _ Kuchiki Byakuya as a customer?”

“Jeez, why do you sound so surprised?” Renji asked.

“You serious? Rukia was telling me about him. That guy is supposed to be so hard to please!” Ichigo was saying. “But seriously, how did it go?”

“He enjoyed the massage… at least I hope he did,” Renji admitted. “Then again, that could’ve been the aftereffects of the massage that were speaking for him, I guess.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Anyways, I gotta get going now. Gotta open up early for tomorrow, remember?”

“You’ll come an hour early to the hotel?” Ichigo asked.

“Got it. See you then,” Renji confirmed.

With that, Renji hung up and set the phone down. As he lay back on the couch, Renji began thinking about the possibilities of meeting up with Rukia again. He knew that she was the manager of the Sode no Shirayuki hotel and this was actually going to be the first time he was seeing it. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to hang out with her after the wedding was done. It’d been a while since they last met, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> And so, our boys may just meet each other again very quickly. Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


End file.
